adjective
ornery
OR-nuh-ree/ˈɔːrnəri/
Bad-tempered and stubbornly difficult to deal with.
The ornery adult refuses to move the chair despite blocking the doorway.
Etymology
Ordinary supplied the starting sense of something commonplace or undistinguished. Ornery shifted through 'poor-quality' and 'coarse' to describe a mean, cantankerous disposition.
In context
the Longhorn bull was notoriously ornery Sullen morose solitary
More examples
- The ornery mule refuses to cross the narrow bridge.
- My neighbor is so ornery that he argues about everything.
- Even a simple request brings out her ornery side.
Forms
ornery · ornerier · orneriest
orneriness noun — The quality of being stubbornly bad-tempered.
Similar words
- cantankerous
- Similarly bad-tempered, but especially inclined to argue and complain.
- grouchy
- Emphasizes an irritable mood rather than stubborn resistance.
- obstinate
- Emphasizes refusing to change, without necessarily being bad-tempered.